PROMOTE PEACEFUL AND INCLUSIVE SOCIETIES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, PROVIDE ACCESS TO JUSTICE FOR ALL AND BUILD EFFECTIVE, ACCOUNTABLE AND INCLUSIVE INSTITUTIONS AT ALL LEVELS

PEACE ANDJUSTICE

16

I. SUMMARY

SDG16 sets the framework for peace, justice for all, and strong institutions, which are fundamental for accelerating progress of all other SDGs. As such SDG16 is an enabler for achieving the 2030 Agenda as a whole and achieving the overall objective of leaving no one behind.

According to the Global Peace Index, which captures the absence of violence or the fear of violence, Asia and the Pacific keeps falling slightly in level of peacefulness due to increasing deaths from internal conflict and increasing military expenditure and a weaker commitment to UN peacekeeping funding. At the same time, there were improvements in the homicide rate and violent crime indicators. Restrictions on civic space and fundamental freedoms more broadly have continued to tighten in 2020 and of 25 Asian countries assessed, four were rated as closed, nine as repressed and nine as obstructed. The COVID-19 pandemic has stalled progress on some of the core elements of SDG16. Data gaps present a key challenge in implementing and monitoring SDG16 targets. Yet, new and innovative best practices emerged in the region. Significant effort is required to learn from good examples in the coming years if the region is to meet the 2030 goal.

II. CURRENT STATUS

SDG16 includes 12 targets and 24 indicators, with many targets from other SDGs linked to the aspiration of peace, justice, and strong institutions. Of the 24 indicators, six are Tier II, 17 are Tier I and one is under both Tier I and Tier II. There is insufficient official data on the SDG16 Targets to conclusively analyse the overall trajectory, but indications show that several subregions – the Pacific, South-East Asia and South-West Asia - all have seen an overall regression in relation to SDG16. Other surveys and sources can also provide insight into the state of governance in the region, and thus serve as proxy for the measuring progress of elements of SDG16. Data from the Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) measures the performance of sub-regions on six dimensions of governance – voice and accountability, political stability and no violence, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, rule of law, and control of corruption—as well as variances between individual countries within the sub region from 2009 to 2019. Overall, the performance of countries in South Asia, East Asia and the Pacific show limited improvement. Countries in North-East Asia, North Asia and Central Asia record steady improvement in all but one category – voice and accountability. Pacific countries, on the other hand, score the highest among all sub-regions in voice and accountability, political stability, rule of law and control of corruption. Without additional efforts, the region may fail to reach SDG16 by 2030.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 and accompanying lockdowns, data and reports from frontline workers indicate that all types of violence against women and girls, particularly family violence, have intensified, with access to life-saving services and support, as well as justice, reduced. Furthermore, the United Nations Secretary-General warned of the increased risk of violence against children due to lockdowns, and UNICEF has reported on the severe disruption to child protection and response services due to COVID-19 . The crisis has also caused significant complications for justice systems, the rule of law (Target 16.3). While some countries took important and positive steps to reduce the risk of exposure and spreading the virus through prisoner release and limiting pre-trial detention, the introduction of emergency measures also resulted in the increased use of detention for those violating measures. Emergency measures introduced in some countries have seen the establishment of decision-making structures on pandemic-related issues which by-pass parliamentary structures, raising concerns about participation and transparency (Target 16.7).

Access to information is critical in the context of the pandemic. Emergency measures have introduced a range of restrictions on fundamental freedoms including on peaceful assembly and freedom of expression (Target 16.10). The UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression report of April 2020 highlighted several challenges in relation to freedom of opinion and expression, and noted that some governments’ efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic may be failing to meet the standards of legality, necessity and proportionality.

The COVID-19 crisis has also exposed underlying issues of exclusion, racism and xenophobia in many countries (Target 16.b) but national human rights institutions have played a proactive role in monitoring and advocacy particularly on rights of minorities (Target 16.a).

The pandemic has brought into sharp focus the need for reliable and timely population and mortality statistics. Deep and pervasive gaps in death registration systems in Asia and the Pacific have been exposed, especially in low-income countries. The millions lacking a legal identity (Target 16.9) in Asia and the Pacific are at increased risk of being excluded from social protection programmes implemented to support people through the pandemic as well as national vaccination schemes.

A. AREAS WHERE GOOD PROGRESS IS MADE

Despite the limitations in data to adequately measure progress, there is indication of progress on specific indicators. These include:

Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere (Target 16.1)

Intentional homicide rates in Asia-Pacific are among the lowest in the world (2.5 per 100,000 population, compared to the global average of 6 per 100,000 population ). Men across the region are more likely than women to be both victims and perpetrators of homicide . In most Asia-Pacific countries, female homicide rates fall well below the global rate of 2.17. The region, however, is not free from violence, with Asia accounting for the largest number of all women killed worldwide by intimate partners or other family members in 2017. The prevalence of intimate partner violence in some sub-regions remains high – in the Pacific, it reached 35 per cent in 2017.

Legal identity for all, including birth registration (Target 16.9)

Civil registration is the fundamental means of providing legal identity, and a basic human right that enables access to services including health and education. Hard to reach and marginalized groups of the population are often those more at risk of not having birth and deaths registered and/or certified, thus increasing the vicious circle of marginalization and disenfranchisement. Registration rates have repeatedly been shown to be lower amongst poor and rural populations. A number of countries still require fees for either registration or issuance of certificates which present an additional barrier.

Progress in the region is mixed but several countries - Bhutan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam - have achieved a near 100 per cent rate for the registration of children under the age of 5. Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Timor-Leste have a rate between 50-75 per cent, and Bangladesh has made significant improvements. Registration in Nepal increased from 56 per cent (DHS 2016-17) to 77 per cent (MICS 2019). The five countries with the lowest registration completeness are Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu with less than 50 percent of children being registered. Some of these, are, however, also amongst the ones where most progress have been seen since the inception of the Asian and Pacific Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Decade in 2014. On a positive note, a number of countries among the Pacific islands have introduced social protection schemes that encourage civil registration.

Figure 1: Birth registration completeness

Source: UNESCAP (2021, in press), On the way towards getting everyone in the picture

Public access to information (indicator 16.10.2)

As of July 2020, 31 regional ESCAP Member States and Associate Members have adopted constitutional, statutory and/or policy guarantees for public access to information (ATI). Most countries with the guarantees reported a specific provision to mandate public bodies to proactively disclose information. Fiji, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu and Viet Nam have adopted such guarantees since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda in 2015. However, more efforts are needed to ensure effective implementation of ATI through an ATI oversight and appeal body. For instance, Australia established an Information Commission and a Data Protection or Privacy Commission, and Bangladesh has set up a Ministry and an Information Commission. Data on appeals and the number of information requests filed, granted or denied are essential to track progress on indicator 16.10.2 but these are still not available in many countries.

Direction of evolution since baseline

Negative Positive

Remaining progress to target

Midterm

B. AREAS REQUIRING SPECIFIC ATTENTION AND ASSOCIATED KEY CHALLENGES

Lack of quality and disaggregated data

Tracking progress towards SDG16 is impeded by limitations in available quality data across different targets and indicators in SDG16. For example, the limited implementation of the Crime Victimization Survey (in 12 countries only) that meets the standards for the Manual on Victimization Surveys impedes collection of data for many indicators. Without this data, indicators cannot be reported, and the real figure and statistics of crime remains hidden. In addition, there are some indicators that only recently have a globally endorsed methodology, including SDG 16.7.1b and c, on representation in public service and the judiciary, SDG 16.7.2 on influence in public decision making and SDG 16.6.2 on satisfaction with governance services. Other indicators like SDG 16.3.3 on access to dispute resolution mechanisms were only included in the framework in 2020. In other cases, such as for corruption indicators 16.5.1 (personal experience of bribery) and 16.5.2 (business experience of bribery), even in cases where corruption surveys are conducted, they may not adhere to the minimum requirements necessary to collect the indicator.

Increased data that can be disaggregated by sex, age, disability, and other factors, is essential for identifying groups that are left behind and to address barriers that leave them excluded. Disaggregated data is also essential for understanding for example crime patterns, the prevalence of violence against women and girls and boys, and for informing interventions in support of several SDG16 Targets. It is therefore critical to urgently address the lack of disaggregated data for SDG16. Several efforts are underway at the global level to clarify methodologies – such as the SDG16 Survey Initiative with UNDP, OHCHR and UNODC for SDG 16 survey-based indicators, and the Praia Group on Governance Statistics for more comprehensive methodologies to measure governance.

End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children (Target 16.2) The average percentage of children (ages 1-14) experiencing physical discipline or psychological aggression from a caregiver (indicator 16.2.1.) is 70.7 per cent with data available for 21 Asia-Pacific countries. The only countries with a percentage that is below 50 per cent (based on available data) are Mongolia (49.3 per cent) and Turkmenistan (37 per cent).

Priority action should be taken to improve data gathering and to raise awareness of violence against children, young men and women, including the impact of violence against children on society as a whole. It is also important to put in place specific measures to reduce the vulnerability to violence in all settings, break the inter-generational cycle of violence, including the link between violence against women and violence against children, young men and women.

While regionally comparable data is lacking for indicators 16.2.2 and 16.2.3, recent research shows that the majority of persons trafficked in the region are women and girls.

It is also notable that drivers of different forms of violence against children spread across many of the SDGs, such as SDG1 (poverty as a potential contributing factor of violence), SDG4 (ensuring schools are safe and violence free), SDG5 (gender dimension of violence), SDG8 (child labour), SDG10 (inequalities). The interconnectedness between the issue of violence against children and social and economic progress of the development agenda should therefore be recognized.

Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all (Target 16.3)

The right to a fair trial and just sentencing is essential to the criminal justice system. However, the number of detained and unsentenced persons (indicator 16.3.2.) continues to increase. In the region, East-Asia records the highest number with over 29,500. This is followed by the Pacific at 13,850, South-East Asia with approximately 10,300, and Central Asia with 3,670. Universal reporting on this indicator remains limited, and increased efforts are needed to increase transparency and accountability in sentencing procedures.The World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index 2020 provides useful data for indicator 16.3.3 on the proportion of the population who have experienced a dispute in the past two years and successfully accessed formal and informal dispute resolution mechanisms. East Asia, the Pacific and Central Asia continue to record modest averages of between 0.5 and 0.53 out of a possible 1 in terms of affordability and accessibility of dispute resolution mechanisms. South Asia presents an average of 0.45, the lowest in the Asia-Pacific region. As COVID-19 exacerbates underlying bottlenecks to access to justice, these figures are projected to shift as personal access to dispute resolution platforms continues to be limited as a result of the global crisis. Challenges limiting women’s access to justice continue to be compounded by discriminatory laws and gender-biased norms and practices, including by justice practitioners.

Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms (Target 16.5)

Corruption in all its forms hinders sustainable development, fosters inequality and undermines the rule of law in the region. While limited official data for the prevalence of corruption in the public sector by public officials (indicator 16.5.1) is available, the corruption perception index (CPI) by Transparency International provides a good picture of the perception of public sector corruption. While there is great variance in the performance of Asia-Pacific countries, overall the region has stagnated on the CPI, with an average score of just 45 on a scale of 0 to 100. Anti-corruption efforts have not generated substantial progress and some countries, such as Afghanistan, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Cambodia, continue to face significant challenges.

On the proportion of businesses engaged in bribery or were asked bribes by those public officials (indicator 16.5.2), data across countries is not comparable. However, available data indicates that in some countries a significant proportion of businesses engaged in bribery, including in Timor-Leste (44 per cent), Cambodia (64 per cent) and Lao People’s Democratic Republic (40 per cent).

Women and girls are particularly vulnerable to corruption premised on the extortion of sexual activity. Across the region, the prevalence of extortion of sexual activity rates are as high as 18 per cent. Women and girls with multiple and intersecting vulnerabilities, such as migrant women, women with disabilities, and LGBTQI people, are at higher risk and have reported being extorted for sexual activity in addition to being coerced into paying monetary bribes.

Strengthen relevant national institutions, including through international cooperation, for building capacity at all levels, in particular in developing countries, to prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime (Means of implementation 16.a)

The 2030 Agenda is to be implemented in a manner consistent with States’ obligations under international law. Out of 49 regional ESCAP Member States, 32 have ratified seven or more of the nine core international human rights instruments and 15 have ratified eight or more. Only Fiji and Sri Lanka have ratified all nine conventions. North and Central Asia is the best performing subregion in terms of ratifications, while South-East Asian countries have the lowest number of ratified conventions. The Convention on the Rights of the Child has been ratified by all Member States, while the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance has the lowest number of ratifications in the region (12 countries), followed by the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (15 countries). Proving an avenue for citizens to appeal to international

human rights organs is important to bring real meaning to the rights contained in the human rights treaties. There are great variations across countries in the region regarding acceptance on individual complaints to international mechanisms. In South-East Asia most of the available mechanisms have not been accepted by any country, whereas the highest access to such mechanisms are offered to those living in Central and Southern Asia.

National human rights institutions (NHRIs) play a catalytic role in implementing and monitoring SDG targets and are a recognized yardstick of State accountability to human rights obligations (indicator 16.a.1). The proportion of Asia-Pacific countries with NHRIs compliant with international standards (28 per cent) continues to lag behind the rest of the world (40 per cent), and except in Central and Southern Asia, the number of countries in the region with NHRIs that are partially or fully compliant, has stagnated since 2015.

Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory, and representative decision-making at all levels (Target 16.7)

The participation and representation of women in decision-making at all levels is critical to strengthening responsive, inclusive and participatory governance, peacebuilding and related processes. None of the countries with available data have proportional representation of women in their parliament as compared to their national population. Women are also underrepresented among permanent committee leadership, including on defense, finance, and human rights. Women are more likely to chair committees on gender equality. Women are further underrepresented in formal peace processes and transitions.

Protection of fundamental freedoms (Target 16.10.1)

Fundamental freedoms, including freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of assembly, access to information, civic space and free, independent, pluralistic and diverse media, are all critical to building and supporting inclusive and peaceful societies, civic participation, the rule of law, and in holding public institutions and officials accountable. From 2015 to 2019, at least 472 human rights defenders, journalists and trade unionists were killed and 21 were forcibly disappeared in 24 ESCAP Member States, according to OHCHR data. Over half of the cases of enforced disappearance in the region happened in 2019. Most of these killings of journalists were concentrated in a few countries in South and Southeast Asia. Defenders of environmental rights are particularly at risk, subject to harassment, arbitrary arrests, detentions, threats, and killing. In 2019, 53 land and environmental defenders were killed in Asia and the Pacific. Offline and online harassment of women journalists, and other gender specific threats are widespread. Violent attacks against human rights defenders, journalists and trade unionists have a direct negative impact on the exercise of fundamental freedoms, on public participation and for ensuring accountability of the state and other actors.

C. INTEGRATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND GENDER EQUALITY CONSIDERATIONS S

SDG16 marks the intersection between sustaining peace and the 2030 Agenda. At the core of the 2030 Agenda lies a clear understanding that human rights, peace and security, and development are deeply interlinked and mutually reinforcing. Integrating human rights and gender equality considerations are key to ensuring SDG16 is achieved and that interventions advance the rights of those who are marginalized and/or discriminated against, including women and girls, to ensure no one is left behind.

Fundamental freedoms, access to information, civic space and free, independent, plural and diverse media, are all critical to building and supporting inclusive and peaceful societies, participation, the rule of law and in holding public institutions and officials accountable. These key dimensions of SDG16, as well as effective, accountable and transparent institution, are also preconditions for realizing economic, social and cultural rights. As such SDG16 is precondition for achieving the 2030 Agenda as a whole.

III. PROMISING INNOVATIONS AND BEST PRACTICES

Development of high-quality survey modules for SDG16: Over the course of 2019-2020, the co-custodians of the SDG 16 indicators (UNDP, UNODC, OHCHR) have been working with national and international experts to develop a survey instrument for the survey-based indicators. The modules have been developed in a consultative manner to ensure a high-quality instrument for monitoring progress on SDG16 indicators, with a questionnaire that recognizes different country contexts. In the Asia-Pacific region, these expert reviews were undertaken by representatives from the National Statistics Offices of Singapore and the Philippines and the modules will be piloted in Kazakhstan in 2021. The instrument is expected to be ready for full implementation in mid-2021 which can help to reduce the burden on National Statistical Offices in producing data on 9 indicators of SDG 16.

National Action Plans on Women, Peace and Security: Recognizing the link between sustaining peace, SDG16, and gender equality, fourteen countries have adopted National Action Plans on Women, Peace and Security (NAP) in the region, with Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Thailand adopting their first NAPs in 2019-2020, and Australia, Indonesia, and Nepal adopting their second NAPs. In addition, countries in the Asia-Pacific region are among the first in the world to incorporate explicit commitments to women’s participation and gender-responsive policy and programmes in national plans on preventing/countering violent extremism national plans (Philippines and Indonesia).

Centre of Excellence for Statistics on Crime and Criminal Justice: The Centre of Excellence for Statistics on Crime and Criminal Justice in Asia and the Pacific (CoE) is the regional hub for the exchange of knowledge, experience and information to enhance statistical, analytical and monitoring capacities with respect to crime and criminal justice data in the region. The CoE contributes to the regional SDG16 data needs by engaging with high-level stakeholders for the political prioritization of crime statistics and provides technical assistance to Member States to develop accurate, accessible and comparable data through the implementation of the International Classification of Crime for Statistical Purposes (ICCS) to develop standardized definitions of crime, CVS, Corruption Surveys and provides training on SDG16 indicators related to crime and criminal justice.

Ensuring emergency measures comply with human rights: The International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) has developed a Checklist on Law and Disaster Preparedness and Response and is currently developing a complimentary checklist on Law and Public Health Emergencies. These can help countries strengthen their disaster management laws and public health emergencies laws and ensure that declarations of State of Disaster or State of Emergency (SoD/SoE) are appropriate and proportionate to the relevant event and uphold human rights. The IFRC Checklist recommends that countries develop a range of SoD/SoE that are tailored to differing degrees and types of risk, to address for example, public health emergencies, disasters triggered by natural hazards and situations of civil unrest, consistent with the requirements for these to be temporary, proportionate of the measures to the interest at stake, non-discriminatory and necessary. The IFRC Checklists also provide recommendations on how to ensure that wider protection and inclusion elements, particularly for those who are most vulnerable in times of emergency, are detailed in relevant laws and regulations.

IV. PRIORITIES FOR ACTION

The outcomes of the round table on Sustainable Development Goal 16 were informed by the relevant goal profile and focused attention on the following action areas for Asia and the Pacific.

Uphold fundamental freedoms and ensure public access to information. With civic space in the region continuing to shrink and a growing range of online restrictions and surveillance in place, the accountability of States in ensuring public and safe access to information and freedom of expression while combating disinformation remains a priority for the region. It is therefore important to protect those most at risk, namely, journalists, media workers, human rights, and environmental defenders with a particular focus on youth and indigenous people, by strengthening legislative and institutional safeguards and ensuring accountability for human rights violations. Building awareness of the critical situation requires enhanced monitoring at country level, including collecting disaggregated data. Related legislation must meet international human rights standards, and effective implementation of legislation on access to information is required.

Equal access to justice for all during and after the COVID 19 pandemic. Barriers to equal access to justice increased with the onset of the pandemic and led to the suspension of court hearings and further restricted access to legal assistance and legal aid services. Many judiciaries in the region reacted quickly in introducing, or expanding, the ability to hold court hearings online and both state and civil society legal aid providers in many countries developed applications and systems for remote access to legal advice, especially to assist the increasing number of survivors of gender-based violence. Innovations on e-justice or digital justice can increase access to justice in the region. However, particular attention must be paid to accessibility of digital technologies for all, including persons with disabilities, and to the technical, economic, and social constraints which exist. More broadly, international standards relating to human rights and rule of law, including space for traditional justice mechanisms, must be upheld by Member States.

Strengthen environmental rule of law and protect environmental defenders to build back better from COVID-19. Environmental rule of law must be strengthened through effective legal frameworks, strong institutions, access to information and justice in environmental matters, recognizing and addressing the digital divide, and a by providing safe enabling environment for environmental human rights defenders, including indigenous peoples, children, youth and local communities, in order to sustainably recover from COVID-19, in order to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and meet globally agreed environmental commitments.

Address discrimination and stigma. Public communication and public support campaigns that promote non-violence and rejects xenophobia, racism and all forms of intolerance, play a key role in countering the alarming spike in intolerance and hate speech that has fueled longstanding challenges with discrimination and stigma including on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression. At the same time, there is a need for increased efforts to change negative social norms and practices. As recalled in the UN Plan of Action on Hate Speech and Guidance Note on Addressing and Countering COVID-19-related Hate Speech, freedom of expression and the right to information play a central role in countering hate speech. A whole of society approach is required to proactively address on and offline misinformation networks, ensuring that government, civil society, private sector and vulnerable populations work together to inform policies and programming that balances freedom of expression with the need to curb mis/disinformation.

Improve the collection and quality of data, particularly disaggregated data. Recognizing the centrality of Goal 16 as an enabler and accelerator for the 2030 Agenda, further efforts are required to strengthen national capacities for data collection, analysis and data prioritization. As with many other Sustainable Development Goals it is also urgent to address the lack of data disaggregated by sex, race, colour, age, language, religion, national, ethnic or social origin, disability, migration or other status.

Increase efforts to eliminate gender-based violence and violence against children. Increased efforts are needed to eliminate gender-based violence and violence against children and women, including by addressing drivers, such as discrimination, harmful social norms and practices as well as gender stereotypes with a view to interrupt the intergenerational cycle of the phenomenon. It is also important to repeal discriminatory laws and policies that facilitate gender-based violence and violence against children and women; to strengthen laws, policies, and national action plans on eliminating gender based violence and violence against children and women, to increase the capacity of frontline law enforcement and justice actors on women’s and children’s access to justice, and of the social service workforce, and to take additional measures for persons at heightened risk of violence, such as women and girls with disabilities, indigenous women and LGBTIQ persons.

Strengthen responsive, inclusive, participatory, and representative decision-making at all levels. Further efforts to promote the full, equal and meaningful participation of all, especially women, children and youth, persons with disabilities, marginalized communities, and those left behind, in decision-making at all levels and in all fields of sustainable development. This includes commitments to achieving diversity, gender parity and equitable representation in decision-making bodies in support of Goal 16, as well as Goal 5, Goal 10, core international human rights instruments and the Women, Peace & Security and Youth, Peace & Security agendas, through promotion of social innovation and digital platforms, and comprehensive understanding of cultural contexts. Amendments to electoral codes, and the introduction of temporary special measures have effectively been used to close the gender gap and increase diversity of representation and similar measures should be adopted to strengthen political participation of other under-represented groups. Available tools for participant should be used, such as Citizen Oversight of Procurement and Local Budget Mechanisms, Sustainable Development Goal Localization, Environmental Impacts Assessments, and Citizen Score-Cards.

Strengthen efforts towards providing a legal identity for all through universal civil registration and vital statistics. Accurate, complete and timely vital statistics from civil registration records are critical for the region in order to recover from the current crisis and monitor progress towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Efforts need to be accelerated towards universal registration of births, deaths and other vital events, as agreed in the Ministerial Declaration to ‘Get Every One in the Picture’ in Asia and the Pacific, in order to achieve legal identity for all through a holistic approach to civil registration, vital statistics and identity management. We must increase our attention on hard-to-reach and marginalized groups to ensure registration for all, including for unregistered adults, in alignment with the promise to Leave No One Behind in recognition of the increased need for individuals to prove their identity.

ANNEX

The official indicator framework for SDG16 proposes 25 indicators. Of these, 6 indicators are classified as Tier I, i.e. the indicators are conceptually clear, have internationally established methodology and standards are available, and data are regularly produced by countries for at least 50 per cent of countries and of the population in every region where the indicator is relevant, and 17 indicators are classified as Tier II, i.e. the indicators are conceptually clear, have internationally established methodology and standards are available, but data are not regularly produced by countries. As SDG16 targets are composite targets and require compound indictors to measure progress, data from different sources are used to track progress. Currently, the main sources for data for assessing progress towards this goal are ESCAP database, and data collected by agencies such as UNODC, UNESCO and OHCHR.

Target IndicatorStatus of indicator

(Tier)

Latest data avaliable Comments (Proxies)

16.1 Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere

16.1.1 Number of victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population, by sex and age

II Latest data available – 2018/ United Nations Statistics Division

Available: Percentage of intentional homicide victims per 100,000 population.

Unavailable data disaggregated by sex and age.

A significant number of countries throughout Asia and the Pacific are missing data on intentional homicide. This is further reinforced by limited data of disaggregating variables.

16.1.2 Conflict-related deaths per 100,000 population, by sex, age and cause

IIN.B. Only

global data is

available under this indicator

“At least 106,806 civilian deaths were recorded by the United Nations in 12 of the world’s deadliest armed conflicts between 2015 and 2017. This translates to an average of 11.9 civilian deaths per 100,000 population each year; 1 in 8 of those deaths was a woman or child. Most of the civilian deaths were caused by heavy weapons and explosive munitions, followed by planted explosives and unexploded ordnance.” (https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2020/goal-16/)

Continued

16.1.3 Proportion of population subjected to (a) physical violence, (b) psychological violence or (c) sexual violence in the previous 12 months

II Latest data available: 2018/ United Nations Statistics Division.

Available: • Annual prevalence

rate of robbery• Annual prevalence

rate of physical assault.

• Annual prevalence rate of sexual assault.

Available: disaggregated data by sex.

Lack of standardized definition of psychological violence, leading to significant data gaps.

UN database for potentially available data requires user information. UN Data for Asia and the Pacific is very limited and available for some countries but scattered with few data points.

16.1.4 Proportion of population that feel safe walking alone around the area they live

II Latest data available – 2018/ United Nations Statistics Division.

Available: disaggregated data by sex, but available for only few countries.

Access to UN database for potentially available data requires user information. UN Data for Asia and the Pacific is very limited and available for some countries in very few data points.

16.2 End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children

16.2.1 Proportion of children aged 1–17 years who experienced any physical punishment and/or psychological aggression by caregivers in the past month

II

16.2.2 Number of victims of human trafficking per 100,000 population, by sex, age and form of exploitation

II Latest data available – 2018/ United Nations Statistics Division

Available: disaggregated data by sex, but available for only few countries.

The data of many countries is missing. The data is still very limited. UN Data for Asia and the Pacific is available for some countries in few data points.

16.2.3 Proportion of young women and men aged 18–29 years who experienced sexual violence by age 18

II Latest data available – 2018/ United Nations Statistics Division

Available: disaggregated data by sex, but available for only few countries.

Data for Asia and the Pacific is available for some countries in few data points.

Continued

16.3 Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all

16.3.1 Proportion of victims of violence in the previous 12 months who reported their victimization to competent authorities or other officially recognized conflict resolution mechanisms

II Latest data available – 2018/ United Nations Statistics Division.

Available: disaggregated data by sex, but available for only few countries.

Data for Asia and the Pacific is available for some countries in few data points.

16.3.2 Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population

ILatest data available – 2018/ United Nations Statistics Division.

Available: Percentage of unsentenced detainees of overall prison population.

Unavailable: Data disaggregated by sex, age and the length of detention.

The data of countries in Asia and Pacific are available in years 2005, 2015, 2018.

16.3.3 Proportion of population who have experienced a dispute in the past 2 years who have accessed formal and/or informal dispute resolution mechanisms

II UNSC 51 addition included in the 2020 comprehensive review

World Governance Indicators (latest 2019)

Some data available from proxies:

World Justice Project Rule of Law Index 2020 (indicator 7.1)Data shows partial impact of COVID-19 pandemic on access to dispute resolution mechanisms

16.4 By 2030, significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, strengthen the recovery and return of stolen assets and combat all forms of organized crime

16.4.1 Total value of inward and outward illicit financial flows (in current United States dollars)

II

16.4.2 Proportion of seized, found or surrendered arms whose illicit origin or context has been traced or established by a competent authority in line with international instruments

II Latest data available – 2017/ United Nations Statistics Division.

Data is not available for Asia and the Pacific countries.

Continued

16.5 Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms

16.5.1 Proportion of persons who had at least one contact with a public official and who paid a bribe to a public official, or were asked for a bribe by those public officials, during the previous 12 months

II Latest data available – 2018/ United Nations Statistics Division.

Available disaggregated data by sex available for only a few countries.

Data is available for only few countries with data points from 2004- 2018.

16.5.2 Proportion of businesses that had at least one contact with a public official and that paid a bribe to a public official, or were asked for a bribe by those public officials during the previous 12 months

I

16.6 Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels

16.6.1 Primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget, by sector (or by budget codes or similar)

II

16.6.2 Proportion of population satisfied with their last experience of public services

II UNDP Oslo Governance CentreLast updated 3 February 2020: No global data previously collected on levels of citizen satisfaction with public services. NSOs encouraged to provide data with release of full data set scheduled for April 2022.

The methodology has been drafted and agreed upon. Pilot data collection launched by the Oslo Governance Centre

Continued

16.7 Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels

16.7.1 Proportions of positions in national and local institutions, including (a) the legislatures; (b) the public service; and (c) the judiciary, compared to national distributions, by sex, age, persons with disabilities and population groups

I (a)

II (b)

Latest data update December 2020 ESCAP: Women make up an average of 35% of members of parliament, lower chamber (ratio over female national population).

Gender disaggregated data scare and/or unavailable for women in public service and the judiciary.

ESCAP Statistical Database:Gender, National Parliaments, Women in Parliament The percentage of seats occupied by women in parliament, which is from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) can be used as a proxy indicator.

Latest data suggest decrease in the number of women in parliament, with averages of 13% for the Pacific, 17% for South Asia and East Asia, 19% in Central Asia and approximately 20% for South East Asia.

16.7.2 Proportion of population who believe decision-making is inclusive and responsive, by sex, age, disability and population group

II The methodology is agreed upon. However, no single data set collates all the components of the indicator. Limited Data in Asia and the Pacific.

16.8 Broaden and strengthen the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance

16.8.1 Proportion of members and voting rights of developing countries in international organizations

I

16.9 By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration

16.9.1 Proportion of children under 5 years of age whose births have been registered with a civil authority, by age

I

Continued

16.10 Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements

16.10.1 Number of verified cases of killing, kidnapping, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention and torture of journalists, associated media personnel, trade unionists and human rights advocates in the previous 12 months

I UNESCO data:

Last update: November 2020 and is expected to be updated every November

Number of killings of journalists: as of 18 December 20 killings of journalists and media workers were recorded in Asia and the Pacific in 2020

Observatory of Killed Journalists; 2020 UNESCO Director-General’s Report on the Safety of Journalists and the Danger of Impunity

Global data, as of 31 Dec 2019:

In 2019, the United Nations tracked 357 killings (decreased from 476 in 2018) and 30 enforceddisappearances of human rights defenders, journalists and trade unionists in 47 countries.

ESCAP regional data as of 31 Dec 2019:

Killings of human rights defenders, journalists and trade unionists2019: 762015-2019: 472

Enforced disappearance of human rights defenders, journalists and trade unionists:2019:122015-2019: 21

16.10.2 Number of countries that adopt and implement constitutional, statutory and/or policy guarantees for public access to information

I Last update: July 2020 31 UN ESCAP Member States and Associate Members in Asia and the Pacific have adopted constitutional, statutory and/or policy guarantees for public access to information.

2020 UNESCO’s Report on the Monitoring and Reporting of SDG Indicator 16.10.2 (Public Access to Information)

Continued

16.a Strengthen relevant national institutions, including through international cooperation, for building capacity at all levels, in particular in developing countries, to prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime

16.a.1 Existence of independent national human rights institutions in compliance with the Paris Principles

I Global data as of 31 Dec 2019:

In 2019, 40% of countries had successfully achieved compliance of national human rightsinstitutions (NHRIs) with the Paris Principle. Peoples’ access to internationally recognizedNHRIs, however, remains overdue in 78 countries, particularly in Eastern and South Eastern Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Oceania, and sub-Saharan Africa.Country data available here: https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/HRIndicators/NHRI_map.pdf

16.b Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development

16.b.1 Proportion of population reporting having personally felt discriminated against or harassed in the previous 12 months on the basis of a ground of discrimination prohibited under international human rights law

II Global data as of 31 Dec 2019:

Almost two in ten people reported having personally experienced discrimination on at least one of the grounds established by international human rights law, according to data from 31 countries over the period 2014 to 2019. Moreover, women are more likely to be victims of discrimination than men. Among those with disabilities, 3 in 10 personally experienced discrimination, with higher levels still among women with disabilities. The main grounds of discrimination mentioned by these women was not the disability itself, but religion, ethnicity and sex, pointing to the urgent need for measures to tackle multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The profile for SDG16 was developed by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) South East Asia Office, Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, UNICEF Regional Office for East Asia and the Pacific, UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, United Nations Development Programme Bangkok Regional Hub (UNDP), United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific (UNODC), United Nations Population Fund Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (UNFPA), UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, under the leadership of the UN Asia-Pacific Issue-based coalition on Human Rights, Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment.

ENDNOTES

1. Institute for Economics & Peace. Global Peace Index 2020: Measuring Peace in a Complex World, Sydney, June 2020. Available from: http://visionofhumanity.org/reports (accessed 28 January 2021). The Global Peace Index captures the absence of violence or the fear of violence across three domains: Safety and Security, Ongoing Conflict, and Militarisation measured by 23 indicators. The average score for the Asia-Pacific (19 countries) in 2020 stood at 1,892 compared to 1,897 in 2019 and 1,881 in 2015.

2. Civicus. State of Civil Society Report 2020. Available from: https://www.civicus.org/index.php/state-of-civil-society-report-2020 (accessed 28 January 2021).

3. UN Statistics Division, Tier, 2020

4. SDG Gateway Asia Pacific: https://data.unescap.org/data-analysis/sdg-progress#

5. Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2019. Available from: https://info.worldbank.org/governance/wgi/Home/

6. https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/policy_brief_on_covid_impact_on_children_16_april_2020.pdf and https://www.unicef.org/media/74146/file/Protecting-children-from-violence-in-the-time-of-covid-19.pdf

7. https://freedomhouse.org/report/special-report/2020/democracy-under-lockdown

8. A/HRC/44/49, Report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Disease pandemics and the freedom of opinion and expression (23 April 2020).

9. United Nations, Policy Brief: The Impact of COVID-19 on South-East Asia. Available from: https://unsdg.un.org/resources/policy-brief-impact-covid-19-south-east-asia. Secretary General, Appeal to Address and Counter COVID-19 Hate Speech (2020). Available from https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/speeches/2020-05-08/appeal-address-and-counter-covid-19-hate-speech

10. SDG Indicator 16.1.1: Number of victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population, by sex and age. For more details, please see https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/files/Metadata-16-01-01.pdf

11. UNESCAP, SDG Indicators Data (data refers to 2016). Available from: https://dataexplorer.unescap.org/vis?dataquery=ESCAP%2BWorld..G16_01_01.&period=2015%2C2020&frequency=A&locale=en&facet=datasource_id&constraints[0]=datasource_id%2CIntentional%2 homicides%23G16_01_01%23&start=0&dataflow[datasourceId]=ESCAP_KEYS&dataflow[dataflowId]=DF_ESCAP_SDG_Dataflow&dataflow[agencyId]=ESCAP&dataflow[version]=1.0&filter=REF_AREA.

12. UNODC (2019). Available from https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/gsh/Booklet1.pdf

13. Global Study on Homicide 2019. Available from: https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/gsh/Booklet1.pdf

14. Indicator definition: Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls aged 15-49 subjected to physical and/or sexual violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months. Available from https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/files/report/2020/secretary-general-sdg-report-2020--Statistical-Annex.pdf

15. UNICEF world data on birth registration https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-protection/birth-registration/

16. UNICEF 2020 Birth Registration for all children by 2030, are we on track?

17. Cook Island, Guam, Nauru, Niue, Northern Mariannas, Palau and Tokelau

18. Data for indicator 16.9.1. on the proportion of children under five whose births have been registered with a civil authority is available for only 40 countries out of the 56 countries and 2 territories of the Asia-Pacific region. In addition, the data for each country is not comparable for trends as each country only has data for one particular year (from 2008-2017).

19. UN Statistics Division, SDG Metadata Repository, Data for indicator 16.9.1 on proportion of children whose birth has been registered.

20. Report on progress towards the achievement of the goals of the Asia and Pacific Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Decade (2015–2024) https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/ESCAP.CST_.2020.INF_.3_Progress_of_CRVS_Decade.pdf

21. For example, in Nauru, Fiji and the Cook Islands a baby bonus is offered to new mothers and is linked to birth registration.

22. https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/ESCAP.CST_.2020.INF_.3_Progress_of_CRVS_Decade.pdf

23. 2020 UNESCO Report on the Monitoring and Reporting of SDG Indicator 16.10.2 (Public Access to Information), p10-11. https://en.unesco.org/news/ipdc-council-welcomes-unescos-first-global-report-public-access-information.

24. Idem, p14-17. https://en.unesco.org/news/ipdc-council-welcomes-unescos-first-global-report-public-access-information.

25. UNODC-INEGI CoE, CVS Atlas, 2020.

26. UNODC-UNDP, Manual on Corruption Surveys, 2018.

27. The Praia Group has released a Handbook on Governance Statistics, http://ine.cv/praiagroup/hand_book/

28. https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-protection/violence/violent-discipline/

29. UN Women Asia Pacific, 2020, The Gendered Dynamics of Trafficking in Persons across Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand, https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2020/02/the-gendered-dynamics-of-trafficking-in-persons

30. https://violenceagainstchildren.un.org/sites/violenceagainstchildren.un.org/files/2020/vnr_doc_final.pdf

31. https://dataunodc.un.org/data/prison/total%20persons%20held%20unsentenced

32. Transparency International, CPI 2019: https://www.transparency.org/en/news/cpi-2019-asia-pacific

33. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/indicators/database/

34. Transparency International, Global Corruption Barometer: Asia 2020, https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/gcb-asia-2020#

35. General Assembly resolution 70/1, Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, preambular paragraph 3, paragraphs 10 and 19.

36. https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/coreinstruments.aspx

37. https://indicators.ohchr.org/

38. This indicator measures proportional representation of various demographic groups (women, age groups) in the national population amongst individuals occupying the following positions in national legislatures: (1) Members, (2) Speakers and (3) Chairs of permanent committees in charge of the following portfolios: Foreign Affairs, Defense, Finance, Human Rights and Gender Equality. For example, in a hypothetical country, if 35% of public servants across all occupational categories are women, then the ratio is calculated as 35/50= 0.7. 50 is set as the denominator and denotes the share of women in the national population, typically 50%. Ratio of 0.7 is less than 1 and means women are underrepresented in public service.

39. International Parliamentary Union database, available from: https://data.ipu.org/specialized-bodies?year=2021&month=1&structure=any&form_build_id=form-ESkdZdEsoNg-HWJwqcjW3mEbCi52ckb3nKne8PQF2PU&form_id=ipu__specialized_bodies_views_filter_form&region=&sb_theme=4132&op=Show+items.

40. https://www.cfr.org/womens-participation-in-peace-processes/explore-the-data

41. UNESCO observatory of killed journalists, https://en.unesco.org/themes/safety-journalists/observatory

42. Global Witness. 2020. Defending Tomorrow: the climate crisis and threats against land and environmental defenders.

43. https://www.un.org/ruleoflaw/sdg-16/

44. https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/-/media/field%20office%20eseasia/docs/publications/2020/10/unn_wps_report_004.pdf?la=en&vs=4057

45. https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/-/media/field%20office%20eseasia/docs/publications/2020/10/unn_wps_report_004.pdf?la=en&vs=4057

46. The Centre of Excellence is the result of an agreement between the National Statistics Office of Republic of Korea (KOSTAT) and UNODC. E/CN.3/2019/19

47. UNODC, ICCS, 2015.

48. https://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/document/checklist-law-disaster-preparedness-response/

49. Compare to: “Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters” (Aarhus Convention) in Europe, and “Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean” (Escazu Agreement).

50. https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/hate-speech-strategy.shtml

51. Human Rights Council resolution 39/11(2018). The Guidelines are available at: https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/PublicAffairs/GuidelinesRightParticipatePublicAffairs_web.pdf

52. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/indicators/database/

53. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/indicators/database/

54. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/indicators/database/

55. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/indicators/database/

56. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/indicators/database/

57. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/indicators/database/

58. https://unstats.un.org/unsd/statcom/51st-session/documents/2020-2-SDG-IAEG-E.pdf